The Atlanta Falcons to hire new head coach, Bill Belichick still without a team
The Atlanta Falcons have decided to hire Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as their head coach, first reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank and the front office casted a wide net and met with 14 candidates for the vacant position. The expected favorite to land the job was former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
“There are layers to the hiring in Atlanta. Arthur Blank was targeting the greatest coach of all time from the start. He was then open to listening to others ideas. Some internal persuasion, impressive interviews, and here we are. Belichick is unemployed. Raheem gets his shot,” reported Dianna Russini of The Athletic on X after the news broke.
At one point, it looked like a lock for Belichick to be heading to the Falcons. It was reported that there may have been “pushback” from those in charge within the organization due to concerns over how much control Belichick would have if he became the new head coach.
“There’s always next year’s cycle, too, if he doesn’t strike a deal with Atlanta,” Jeremy Fowler wrote Thursday for ESPN. “I haven’t spoken to one person who says Belichick has something else brewing. If the Dallas job opened, then I think Belichick would have met with the Jones family. I’m not sure Philly would have been viable for him.”
The 47-year old Morris drew interest from multiple teams including the Seattle Seahawks. With him leaving, the Los Angeles Rams receive a 2024 and 2025 third round pick for compensation.
Morris, will need to fill out his coaching staff, including an offensive coordinator.
Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports that Rams offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is a strong candidate to follow Morris to Atlanta. Robinson has had multiple offensive coordinator interviews including the Patriots.
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